Resolving evolutionary changes in parasite life cycle complexity: Molecular phylogeny of the trematode genus Alloglossidium indicates more than one origin of precociousness.

The evolutionary causes and consequences of changes in complex life cycles are of central importance in parasitology. However, data remain limited because in part, knowledge on phylogenetic relationships among species that differ in life cycle patterns remains scarce. We present a molecular phylogeny of the trematode genus Alloglossidium, which contains several species that display precocious (a.

Evolutionary consequence of a change in life cycle complexity: A link between precocious development and evolution toward female-biased sex allocation in a hermaphroditic parasite.

The evolutionary consequences of changes in the complex life cycles of parasites are not limited to the traits that directly affect transmission. For instance, mating systems that are altered due to precocious sexual maturation in what is typically regarded as an intermediate host may impact opportunities for outcrossing. In turn, reproductive traits may evolve to optimize sex allocation.

Alloglossidium floridense n. sp. (Digenea: Macroderoididae) from a spring run in North Central Florida.

A new species of Alloglossidium is described from the intestines of 2 madtom species (Noturus leptacanthus and Noturus gyrinus) that were collected from the run of a small, unnamed spring system that drains into the Santa Fe River, Florida. Alloglossidium floridense n. sp.

Interaction of two myxozoan parasites from naked goby Gobiosoma bosc, in Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana.

During a parasitological survey of naked gobies ( Gobiosoma bosc ) in Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, U.S.A.